Bellatrix Black
Sirius and Peter were still laughing as they left the dungeons, walking toward the Great Hall for lunch. Peter was excitedly retelling the events of Potions to James, mimicking Severus’s angry expression when he got sent out of the classroom.
James threw an arm around Sirius’s shoulders. "You absolute menace," he said approvingly. "Wish I’d been in your group."
Remus, walking beside them, raised an eyebrow. "You probably would’ve made it worse."
"Exactly!" James grinned.
Sirius smirked but didn’t say anything. It was nice, this, being surrounded by people who actually liked him. Who didn’t treat him like a disappointment just for existing the way he wanted to. But as they turned a corner near the entrance to the Great Hall, a familiar figure stepped in front of them.
Bellatrix Black.
Her dark hair was wild and frizzy as always, and her sharp, narrowed eyes locked onto him with an intensity that made Peter instinctively shrink back. She ignored the others entirely, tilting her head as she addressed Sirius in a smooth, quiet voice.
"Tu n'as pas honte, Sirius?" (Are you not ashamed, Sirius?)
"Go ahead," he muttered to the others. "I’ll catch up."
James hesitated, looking between them, but Sirius gave him a sharp look. Reluctantly, James, Peter, and Remus continued toward the Great Hall, though James kept glancing over his shoulder.
Once they were alone in the corridor, Bellatrix took a slow step closer, her lips curling into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
"Ils sont en colère, tu le sais?" (They're angry, you know?)
Sirius swallowed, trying to keep his expression bored. "Shocking."
"They're furious" Bellatrix’s voice was almost sing-song.
Sirius stiffened, but he forced himself to roll his eyes. "If you came here just to repeat what I already know, you’re wasting your time."
She ignored him. "Tu n'as pas idée de ce que tu as fait. Tu as humilié la famille. Tu devrais être désolé." (You have no idea what you’ve done. You have humiliated the family. You should be sorry.)
Sirius lifted his chin. "I’m not."
Bellatrix’s expression finally shifted into something real, anger.
"Tu le seras." (You will be.)
With that, she turned and swept away, her robes billowing behind her as she disappeared down the corridor.
Sirius exhaled shakily, his body rigid. He stood there for a long moment, staring at the stone floor, forcing the words out of his head.
The Gryffindor table was loud, buzzing with the usual midday chatter. James spotted Sirius first and immediately scooted over to make room.
"Took you long enough," he said, then paused. His eyes flickered over Sirius’s face. "You alright?"
Sirius forced a smirk and dropped into the seat next to him. "What, you missed me?"
James didn’t look convinced, but before he could push further, Peter piped up. "We saved you some French toast!"
Sirius glanced at his plate. Sure enough, there it was, still warm.
He picked up his fork. "Good. I’d hate to hex someone this early in the day."
James grinned, launching into some story about a third year who had accidentally hexed himself in Charms, and just like that, things felt normal again.